Standish to relocate Sebago boat launch Move to safeguard drinking water supply

STANDISH – Town officials have agreed to move a popular Sebago Lake boat launch away from the Portland Water District’s intake pipes.

The water district had long sought such a move in order to enhance the safety of the drinking water supply for nearly 200,000 people in the Portland area.

New concerns about the potential for a terrorist to contaminate the water supply prompted leaders of the water district to revive negotiations over the location of the boat launch, said Michelle Clements, spokeswoman for the district.

“It’s something the Portland Water District has always wanted to do, and I don’t think that’s been a secret,” Clements said. “And since Sept. 11, we’ve done a lot at the water district in terms of increasing security and awareness.”

The Standish Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday in support of a deal to close the launch and create a new one. The most likely new site is on the east side of the lake, about three miles north of the existing launch. The district tentatively agreed to create a new swimming beach and park at the new facility.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the town,” said Town Manager Gordon Billington.

The agreement would shift the busy launch from an area where even body contact with the water is prohibited to a site about two miles from the pipes that draw drinking water out of the lake.

Despite the town council endorsement, some in the community harbor reservations about the move, which is not expected to be finished in time for the 2002 boating season.

“I don’t know exactly what it’s going to do to my business,” said Timothy “T.J.” Davis, owner of TJ’s Sandwich Shop near the boat launch. He said the average customer on the way to the boat ramp spends about $20 on beer and food.

The launch is right in the village of Sebago Lake, near the intersection of Routes 114 and 35. More than 120 boats typically put in here each weekend day during the summer, and the traffic helps support two gas stations and two general stores.

In 1992, the water district promised the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency it would close the boat launch as a way to guarantee clean water. Negotiations with the town failed to produce an agreement. The district even went to the Legislature to try to have the launched moved, with no success.